Racket press



Nov. 21, 1939. E. VREDENBURG, JR l 2,180,783

RACKET PRESSA Filed Oct. 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l NOV. 21, 1939. E, VREDENBURG JR 2,180,783 I RACKET PRESS Filed oct. 25, 1937 asheets-sheet 2 Patented Nov. 21, 1939 UNITED 'STATES y0I-FICE x f f if l' Application october 25, 1937, serialy No; 170.881

s l In Great Britain October 29, 1936 1o claims. (Craze-74)" I v I Figure 5 is a similar view of a modified form of This invention relates `to a press for lawn ten-v nis and other games rackets.,

An object of the invention is to provide a racket press in Whichthe tWo co-operating clamping members or frames are connected by toothed rack and detent mechanism to avoid the use of the usual clamping bolts and nuts, and enable a racket to be clampedvin the press more expeditiously than heretofore, means being included to release said connections at will forremoval of the racket.

Another 4object of the invention is to provide a racket press as above set forth inl which the toothed rack or racks are provided with` ratchet teeth, over which the detent or detents slide freely when the clamping frames are approacl'ied'to-` wards one another, but which are engaged bythe detents to prevent the frames being moved apart, so that after insertion of the racket between the frames, a pressure'of the hand on one of` the frames to force it towards the other is all that is required to clamp the racket and retain Vit clamped between the frames until it is desired to remove it, whereupon the detent-...or detents can be released to allow the frames to be moved apart.

A further object of the invention isto provide a' racket press as above set rforth in whichy vthe mechanism is so housed as to avoid projection of vany working parts from the outer faces ofthe press. Y

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, which form a part of the specification.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consistsin the construction and novel combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, `and pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, pron one form of the press. line Figure 4 is a perspective view on a larger scale v of Vone of the frame connecting devices...

frame Vconnecting device. I,

Figure 6 is an elevation partly in section of a fragment of the top and bottom frames of a cross type of press With the connecting device at the middle. f'

, Figure 7 is a top plan view of apress of the cross type having connecting devices between each pair of opposed arms, and a device at the middle for operating the connecting devices sif" .multaneously.

Figure v8 is across section on a larger scale taken along partof one of the arms of the top frame of the press shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a top plan view on a larger scale,

.and with the top cover broken away, of the operating device shown in Figure '1.

Figure 10 is an elevation, partlyin section, of the cross or end bars of a rectangular press, and alternative connecting means shown on the left and right hand sides of the figure. Fig. 11 is an under plan partly in section of one of the undixvided end bars of Fig. 10.

Thepress illustratedv by Figures' 1 to 4.00mprises two octagonal frames I, 2 termed for convenience of. description a top frameand bottom frames, respectively.

Each frame has a middle bar 3.

The frames are made suciently wide to allow a racket head to be slid between them without vfouling any connecting parts.`

A metal sleeve 4, conveniently of square cross section, is fixed in the top frame I at each side.

VEach sleeve 4 has a longitudinal slot 5.

yare exposed bythe slots 5.

Compression springs Il are mounted between the frames `I and 2. l

" Detent bars I0 are slidably mounted in grooves I I in the underside of the top frame middle bar 3. The outer ends of the'detent bars I0 are bevelled and are pressedinto vengagement with the teeth of the rods 6 by a compression spring I2.

The spring I2 is arranged between vthe upvturnedinner-ends 'I3 of the detent bars, and isI housed in a cavity I4 in the middle bar 3, the cavity being closed by a plate or strip I5.

Extensions I6 of the detent bars I0 project through slots Il in the side of the middle bar I, and terminate in iinger pieces or knobs I8.

Obviously other ways of mounting the detent bars I0 and spring I2 on the frame I can be adopted, but the above described or a similar arrangement avoids the projection of working parts from the outer faces of the press.

When a racket head has been slid between the two frames l and 2, it is clamped between them by merely pressing them together, or one towards the other, the detent bars Ill slipping freely over the teeth 3 as the frames approach and en gaging with said teeth when the applied pressure ceases, so that the frames are held in the clamping position.

Thus, a mere pressure of the hand on the top frame l, for example, suffices to clamp the racket head between the frames, which are retainedv automatically in the clamping position directly the hand pressure is removed.

When it is desiredto remove the racket fro the press, the inger pieces I8 are pressed towards each other to disengage the detent bars I0 from the teeth 8, and the frames l and 2 then move apart automatically under the action of the springs 9.

In th-e above example, the frames I and 2 are made of wood, but they can be made of metal, in which case the brackets 'I can be dispensed with and the rods 6 can be directly pivoted in the frame.

The rods 5 canl be formed as ordinary rack bars with plain teeth.-

In such case, the detent bars I0 are disengaged from the teeth by the finger pieces I8, as the frames I and 2 `are moved together, and are released to engage the teeth when the clamping position is reached.

As shown in Figure 5, each sleeve 4 may carry a pinion I9 meshing with the teeth 8-whether ratchet or plain-of the associated rod B, the detent rod IB co-operating with the pinion.

Two pinions may be employed to mesh with teeth formed on opposite faces of the rod 6, one pinion co-operating with the detent Il) and the other being an idler.

In the example illustrated by Figure 6, a single rod and sleeve connection is provided between the two frames I and 2 of a cross type of press, at the middle.

The rod I5 is provided with ratchet teeth 8 on two opposed faces and the sleeve Il has opposed slots 5 to expose each set of teeth.

A single detent bar IU is provided to co-operate with either set of teeth alternately, depending upon which way round the top frame is applied.

The detent bar Ill is pressed into engagement with one set of teeth 8 by a spring I2, and can be retracted by a rod 2| ywith a knob 22 at the end.

To insert the racket, the topframe I is removed and the rod S is passed through the Stringing into the sleeve 5, a protecting washer 23 being threaded on the rod.

Clamping of the racket is effected by merely pressing the frames together or one towards the other, as in the previous example.

By pulling the knob I 8 to retract the detent bar I, the top frame I can be removed to releasethe racket. The rod 6, as in the previous example, may be a plain rack bar.

In the example illustrated by Figures 7 to 9,

detent-controlled toothed rod and sleeve connections, as described in the previous examples, are provided between each pair of opposed arms of a cross type oi press, together with means for simultaneously retracting the detent bars.

A detent bar I0 is provided 'for each arm and is pressed into engagement with the teeth of its respective rod 6 by a spring I2.

Each detent arm I0 has an upturned end 24, preferably itted with a roller 25. The upturned ends 24 project into a circular cam casing 26 which is rotatably mounted on a pin 2l secured in the middle of the top frame of the press.

The cam casing 26 is formed with vcam faces 28 on its inner wall and its outer wall is preferably milled. The upturned ends 2li, or the rollers 25 when provided, bear against the cam faces.

By rotating the cam casing, the detent rods I0 are retracted simultaneously from the toothed rods to release the top frame.

In the example illustrated by Figures l0 and 11, a rectangular type of press with the frames of normal width has each of the end or cross bars I, 2 divided, and their meeting ends iitted slidably in a metal sleeve 29.

The meeting ends areheld together vby a tension spring 3G and each end which may be reduced to iit into the sleeve 29 is provided with a slot 3|.

Pins orrivets 32 in the sleeves 29 pass through the slots 3| and so prevent the meeting ends being entirely withdrawn from the sleeves,

As shown on the left hand side of Figure l0, the sleeve 29 carries a detent bar i 0 for co-operation with a toothed rod 6 on one frame, arranged to slide in a slotted sleeve l on, the other, as in the previous examples described.

As shown on the right'hand side of Figure 10, the frames I and 2 carry co-operating square section rods 6,6 provided with ratchet teeth 8,8', which are interengaged, the slope of the teeth being such that when the frames are pressed together, the teeth on one rod slip freely over those on the other, but by their interengagement prevent the frames being moved apart.

Springs 9 embrace the rods 5,6'.

In this form of the invention, the connections shown on the left hand side of the ligure or the connections shown on the right hand side of the figure canbe used on both sides of the press, as desired.

With the connections shown on the left hand side of the figure, the frames are merely pressed together or one towards the other to clamp the racket head between them, as previously described, and when itis desired to remove the racket, the press is expanded sideways, so withdrawing the toothed rods 6 away from the detent bars IU, whereupon the top frame is raised by the springs 9.

Similarly with the connections shown on the right hand side of the figure, clampingv of the racket between the frames is effected by pressing the frames together or one towards the other, the toothed bars S, 8 then slipping freely one over the other, the press being expanded sideways to disengage the teeth of the bars .6, E and allow the springs 9 to separate the frames, when the racket is to be removed. In this embodiment, the end or cross bars of one frame only need to made expansible, since the extent ofexpansion required to separate the interengaged toothed rods is very small.

Interengaging ratchet tooth-ed bars such as 6, 6 in Figure 10 can be employed in a press having the frames lsufficiently wide to admit a racket 'head between them without fouling the connections. In such case, for the purpose of separating the toothed rods 6, t" to permit the frames to be moved apart, one of each pair may be provided with a screw to abut against the other, the screw for the pair onone side being a righthanded screw, and the screw for the pair on the other side being a left-handed screw, the screws being connected by ya wire` bail which is swung over the pressV to turn the screws simultaneously and so effect separation of the co-operating toothed rods, which are then mounted with play in the frames to allow of their separation.

The press can be of other `shapes than those Q described, for instance, trapezoidal.

Such a construction will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, without any necessity for illustration` I claim:

l. A racket press comprising two co-operating clamping frames, a rod provided with ratchet teeth carried by one of said frames and a detent carried by the other frame which is mounted to slide on said rod, the ratchet teeth of said rod being normally engaged by said detent to prevent said frames being moved apart, ybut permitting said detent to slip yover them, when said frames are approached towards one another, thereby enabling a racket to be clamped between said frames by mere'hand pressure on one. them, means being provided to disengage sai-f:A detent from said teeth, at wiil, to permit of movement apart of said frames for removal of the:

racket. f

2. A racket press comprising two co-operating clamping frames, toothed racks carriedby one of said frames on each side thereof and spring pressed detent bars carried slidably by the other frame which is slidably supported on said toothed racks, said detent bars being normally engaged with the teeth of said toothed racks to prevent separation of said clamping frames and. means being provided for retracting said detent bars, at will, to permit said clamping frames to be moved apart.

3. A racket presscomprising two (3o-operating clamping frames, a toothed rod having ratchet teeth of said bars so that saidl detent bars slip,

over-said teeth when said clamping frames are approached towards one another, and engage with said teeth to prevent said clamping frames being moved apart, means being provided to retract said detent bars from said teeth, at will, to permit said frames to be moved apart.

4. A racket press comprising two co-operating clamping frames, a toothed rod having ratchet teeth carried by one of said frameson each side thereof, bearing sleeves for said toothed rods, carried by the other of` said frames, said bearing sleeves having slots therein to expose the teeth of said toothed rods which are slidably mounted in said sleeves, spring pressed detent bars slidably carried by said other clamping frame, to co-operate with theratchet teeth of said toothed rods, so as` to permit said clamping frames to be moved towards one another but to prevent their movement apart, springs between said clamping frames, and means for retracting said detent bars from the teeth of said toothed bars, at will,'to permit said clamping frames to be moved apart.

5. A racket press comprising two co-operating clamping frames, toothed rods having ratchet teeth carried by each of said frames, the teeth of the rods of one frame being interengaged with the teeth of the rods of the other frame and being sloped, so that they slip over each other when said frames are moved together, but interlock to prevent said framesbeingmovedapart, means being provided to separate the engaged teeth, at will, to permit said frames to be moved apart.

6. A racket press comprising two co-operating clamping frames, a toothed rod having ratchet -teeth carried by one of said frames on eachside thereof, bearing sleeves for said toothed rods,v

carried by theother of said frames, said sleeves having slots therein to expose the teeth of said toothed rods which are slidably mounted in said sleeves,r a pair of detent barsslidably mounted in grooves in said other frame, said detent bars co-operating at their outer ends with the ratchet teeth of said toothed rods, a compression spring mounted in a cavity in said other frame between the innerends of said detents, normally to press said detents into `engagement withfthe ratchet teeth of said toothed. bars to prevent separation Vof said clamping frames, retracting members provided on said detent bars, and springs arranged between said clamping frames, so that on retraction of said detent bars, said clamping frames are forced apart automatically.

47. A racket press having two co-operating clamping members movable toward andfaway .from each other in a direction transverse to the vplanesin which they lie, spring-urged detent and toothed rack mechanism with which the 8f. A rackiet press having two co-operating K clamping members movable toward and away fromv each other in a direction transverse to the planes in which they lie, spring-urged detent and ratchet-toothed rack mechanism with which the spring-urged detent co-operates carried by said press for holding said clamping members in v the clamping position, and means for releasing said mechanism at will.

9. A racket press comprising two co-operating clamping frames, ratchet-toothed racks carried by oneof said frames and sliding in the other, a spring-urged detent for each of said racks, each detent co-operating with the teeth of its associated rack to permit of said clamping frames being moved towards` one another, but preventing their lmovement apart, and means forv simultaneously retracting said detents at will, to perimit of saidclamping frames being moved` apart. 

